1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for preparing patent specifications, a method for preparing patent specifications, and a storage medium recording thereon a program for preparing patent specifications, and more particularly to a system for preparing patent specifications, a method for preparing patent specifications, and a storage medium recording thereon a program for preparing patent specifications with inventors and persons in change of filing patent applications using a plurality of computers connected to a communication network, such as Internet, for preparing patent specifications for patent applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional system for managing bibliographic data of industrial properties is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-91349. The conventional bibliographic-data management system is provided with an attorney-side computer located at a patent law firm and a client-side computer placed at an applicant""s office, for instance, the intellectual property division of a company. The attorney-side computer comprises an input unit, a transmitting unit, an attorney-side memory unit, and an attorney-side data update unit. The client-side computer includes a client-side memory unit, a receiving unit, and a client-side data update unit.
The conventional bibliographic-data management system with such a construction as described above operates as follows:
In the attorney-side computer, an patent attorney enters from the input unit bibliographic items relating to various procedures each time the patent attorney performs those procedures, for example, during the prosecution of a patent application. The transmitting unit transmits both the bibliographic items for the patent application entered from the input unit and a reference number assigned to the patent application through a communication line to the client-side computer. At the same time, in accordance with the bibliographic items entered from the input unit, the data update unit updates procedure history data which are stored in the attorney-side memory unit and indicate the histories of procedures conducted for patent applications handled by the patent law firm.
Meanwhile, in the client-side computer, the receiving unit receives the bibliographic items and the reference number for the patent application transmitted through the communication line by the attorney-side computer. In accordance with the bibliographic items and the reference number, the client-side data update unit updates procedure history data stored in the client-side memory unit so that they become substantially the same as those in the attorney-side memory unit.
The conventional system described above merely delivers bibliographic data, entered by the attorney into the attorney-side computer and stored into the attorney-side memory unit, over the communication line to the client-side computer to be stored into the client-side memory unit, but is not designed to prepare patent application documents including a specification while each of the attorney-side computer and the client-side computer transmit to the other, and receive from the other, relevant data.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of preparing data for patent application documents by the transmission and reception of draft data via a server computer between a client computer used by an inventor preparing the draft data for a specification to be included in his or her patent application and another client computer used by patent-application-filing persons including a patent attorney revising the draft data.
According to first aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for preparing patent specifications which comprises a first computer, a second computer and a third computer connected to one another via a communication network. Said first computer comprises a draft preparation means for entering patent specification draft data of a patent specification prepared by an inventor; a draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer respective patent specification draft data entered from said draft specification preparation means and a piece of invention report information for identifying the respective patent specification draft data; a first draft downloading means for fetching from said second computer draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by said inventor; a draft amending means for amending the draft data fetched by the first draft downloading means in accordance with an instruction by said inventor; and an amended draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer the draft data amended by the draft amending means and the piece of invention report information designated by said inventor. Said second computer comprises a specification file memory means, and a draft entry means for entering respective patent specification draft data and said piece of invention report information for identifying the respective draft data, transmitted from said first and third computers into said specification memory means, with the respective draft data and the pieces of invention report information being associated with each other. Said third computer comprises a second draft downloading means for fetching from said second computer patent specification draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by a patent-application-filing person; a draft revision means for revising the draft data fetched by the second draft downloading means in accordance with an instruction by said patent-application-filing person; and a revised draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer the draft data revised by said draft revision means and the piece of invention report information designated by said patent-application-filing person.
According to second aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for preparing patent specifications which comprises a first computer, a second computer, a third computer and fourth computer connected to one another via a communication network. Said first computer comprises a draft preparation means for entering patent specification draft data of a patent specification prepared by an inventor; a draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer respective patent specification draft data entered from said draft specification preparation means and a piece of invention report information for identifying the respective patent specification draft data; a first draft downloading means for fetching from said second computer draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by said inventor; a draft amending means for amending the draft data fetched by the first draft downloading means in accordance with an instruction by said inventor; and an amended draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer the draft data amended by the draft amending means and the piece of invention report information designated by said inventor. Said second computer comprises a specification file memory means, and a draft entry means for entering respective patent specification draft data and said piece of invention report information for identifying the respective draft data, transmitted from said first and fourth computers into said specification memory means, with the respective draft data and the pieces of invention report information being associated with each other. Said third computer comprises an entry means for referencing, when patent specification draft data are transmitted from said first computer to said second computer, the patent specification draft data, searching a prior art reference database for reference data on the basis of the contents of the invention indicated by the patent specification draft data, associating searched reference data with the patent specification draft data and entering them into said specification file memory means. Said fourth computer comprises a second draft downloading means for fetching from said second computer patent specification draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by a patent-application-filing person and reference data related thereto; a draft revision means for revising the draft data fetched by the second draft downloading means in accordance with an instruction by said patent-application-filing person having referenced to the related reference data fetched together with the draft data; and a revised draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer the draft data revised by said draft revision means and the piece of invention report information designated by said patent-application-filing person.
According to third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for preparing patent specifications which includes: a draft preparation step for a first computer to enter patent specification draft data for a patent specification prepared by an inventor; a draft uploading step for said first computer to transmit to a second computer respective patent specification draft data entered at said draft preparation step and a piece of invention report information for identifying the respective patent specification draft data; a draft entry step for said second computer to enter respective patent specification draft data and said piece of invention report information for identifying the respective draft data, transmitted from said first computer, the data and the information being associated with each other, into a specification file memory means; a second draft downloading step for a third computer to fetch from said second computer patent specification draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by a patent-application-filing person; a draft revision step for said third computer to revise the draft data fetched at said second draft downloading step in accordance with an instruction by said patent-application-filing person; a revised draft uploading step for said third computer to transmit to said second computer the draft data revised at said draft revision step and the piece of invention report information designated by said patent-application-filing person; a revised draft entry step for said second computer to enter respective patent specification draft data and said piece of invention report information transmitted from said third computer, the data and the information being associated with each other, into said specification file memory means; a first draft downloading step for said first computer to fetch from said second computer draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by said inventor; a draft amending step for said first computer to amend the draft data fetched at said first draft downloading step in accordance with an instruction by said inventor; and a amended draft uploading step for said first computer to transmit to said second computer the draft data amended at said draft amending step and the piece of invention report information designated by said inventor.
According to fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for preparing patent specifications which includes: a draft preparation step for a first computer to enter patent specification draft data for a patent specification prepared by an inventor; a draft uploading step for said first computer to transmit to a second computer respective patent specification draft data entered at said draft preparation step and a piece of invention report information for identifying the respective patent specification draft data; a draft entry step for said second computer to enter respective patent specification draft data and said piece of invention report information for identifying the respective draft data, transmitted from said first computer, the data and the information being associated with each other, into a specification file memory means; an entry step for a third computer to reference, when patent specification draft data are transmitted from said first computer to said second computer, the patent specification draft data, search a prior art reference database for reference data on the basis of the contents of the invention indicated by the patent specification draft data, associate searched reference data with the patent specification draft data and enter them into said specification file memory means; a second draft downloading step for a fourth computer to fetch from said second computer patent specification draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by patent-application-filing person and reference data related thereto; a draft revision step for said fourth computer to revise the draft data fetched at said second draft downloading step in accordance with an instruction by said patent-application-filing person having referenced to the related reference data fetched together with the draft data; a revised draft uploading step for said fourth computer to transmit to said second computer the draft data revised at said draft revision step and said piece of invention report information designated by said patent-application-filing person; a revised draft entry step for said second computer to enter respective patent specification draft data and said piece of invention report information for identifying the respective draft data, transmitted from said fourth computer, the data and the information being associated with each other, into said specification file memory means; a first draft downloading step for said first computer to fetch from said second computer draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by said inventor; a draft amending step for said first computer to amend the piece of draft data fetched at said first draft downloading step in accordance with an instruction by said inventor; and a amended draft uploading step for said first computer to transmit to said second computer the draft data amended at said draft amending step and the piece of invention report information designated by said inventor.